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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Avocado and Shrimp Bruschetta

Delicious shrimp, creamy avocado, lime, cilantro and a hint of chili powder piled atop some delicious garlic bread. It is a one of a kind bruschetta appetizer that reminds me of our trip to the Houston shore.

What a crazy start to hurricane season! A couple of weeks ago we watched in horror as hurricane Harvey hit the coast of Texas. As if the damage from the winds wasn't enough, Harvey continued to dump rain on an already damaged city.

Then it rained and rained and rained some more. It was heartbreaking to turn on the news each night and the images were almost unbelievable. Foot after foot of rainwater forced people to climb onto their roofs to escape the water. Good Samaritans were rescuing people in their fishing boats and the world watched amazed.

My friend Susanne from New South Charm messaged me that we should do something to show our support for those affected by the storm. Though the water has receded, the recovery is far from over. For some people life may be getting slowly back to normal.

For others it will be weeks or years before the pieces start to come back together. For many life will never be the same.

In the meantime the social service agencies in the area are doing their best to keep up with the demand. While we were not able to show up in our fishing boats to rescue those folks from their roof tops, we can do a little something to support them now.

We thought in addition to sharing some resources and ways to help, we would show our support by sharing some Texas themed recipes. We are food bloggers after all and that is what we do!

But what to make that says Texas? Of course it was tempting to do BBQ or some Tex-Mex. Those are two of our favorite types of food.

In the end I was drawn to something a little bit different. A few years back (ok, almost 8 years ago... how could it possibly have been that long?!) My then brand new fiance and I took a road trip to Houston to see my cousin.

It was the weekend before Thanksgiving and I drove from my house to his after work to get ready to leave for Texas the next morning. Little did I know he had spent the day chasing down the mailman to retrieve the ring he needed to propose.

That is a story for another day. You'll have to remind me sometime!

Anyway, fresh off the buzz of a new diamond ring, we packed up and headed south. We visited the aquarium, were introduced to roller derby and had a blast on our too short trip.

My cousin noted that every time we went out to eat my husband ordered some sort of seafood feast. If there was a menu item that included the word shrimp, seafood or crab combined with the word feast, that is what he ordered. Without fail. Every time.

I had my fair share of seafood too, even if not in such grand proportions! But in a city that even put shrimp in our bloody mary, I figured I had better include shrimp in my recipes.

I thought I could tie in some of those southwestern flavors with lime, cilantro, chili powder and avocado. Then I piled it all up on some garlic bread and passed it around.

No surprisingly my husband loved them. He kept going back for more. He nicely left the last one on the plate for a couple of minutes to be sure nobody else really wanted it, but after a polite pause he went ahead and finished it off.

If you are looking for some more great Texas inspired recipes, please scroll down and see what some of the other bloggers created. I can't wait to get inspired as I just know I am going to be tempted to make them all!

As I write this, Irma is hitting Florida. I have friends and family who were in mandatory evacuation zones and some who stayed put. It is too early to know what kind of destruction it will cause but here's hoping it's nowhere near what Harvey left in his wake.

Yield: serves 8-10Author: Cooking With Carlee

Avocado and Shrimp Bruschetta

Delicious shrimp, creamy avocado, lime, cilantro and a hint of chili powder make this bruschetta one of a kind. It reminds me of our visit to the Houston shore.

prep time: 10 MINScook time: 10 MINStotal time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:

1 Baguette, sliced in about half inch slices

3 T butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb shrimp, cooked and peeled

2 T lime juice

1 T olive oil

4-5 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp chili powder (or to taste)

2 avocados, diced

salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spread the baguette slices out on a cookie sheet. Stir together garlic and butter and brush over baguette slices. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the lime juice, chili powder and olive oil. Cut the avocado into small cubes and toss in lime juice mixture.

Roughly chop the shrimp. Stir shrimp and cilantro in with the avocado and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nothing more perfect to recognize Texas than shrimp! I remember falling in love with Gul Shrimp down there, no other shrimp has ever been the same to me! Love all the flavor you have packed into these bites!

Hi Carlee, I've been following the devastation the hurricanes have been having over there and my heart goes out to everyone affected. Many lives have been affected and some will never be the same again.

If shrimps are popular in Texas my husband and my daughter would love it there! These bruschetta would go down well with them. Pinning for future reference.